THE sinking of vessels and issuing higher fines have been proposed as penalties for foreign fishing vessels found encroaching Malaysian waters, said Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Minister Salahuddin Ayub.

During the minister’s question session, Salahuddin said the vessels seized will be sunk and turned into artificial reefs.

“After they are detained, the fishermen will be brought to court. Their vessels will be sunk and turned into reefs for our benefits.

“I think this is a rational action to take. It has already been implemented by neighbouring countries”

He was responding to the question from Halimah Mohamed Sadique (Kota Tinggi-BN).

In the last 12 years, Salahuddin said 1,182 vessels foreign vessels were nabbed.

Vietnam made up for a bulk of the vessels detained at 706.

Meanwhile, some 52 vessels were caught via cross-ministerial operations involving the Home Ministry, Defence Ministry and Foreign Affairs Ministry – in the span of two-and-a-half months.

To a question from Ngeh Koo Ham (Beruas-DAP) if the move will cause Indonesia to retaliate by enforcing stringent action against encroaching Malaysian fishermen, Salahuddin said the country has already has such enforcement measures in place.

The proposed amendments to the Fisheries Act 1985 will be tabled for the first reading in the Dewan Rakyat today. It will include higher fines on foreign fishing vessels found guilty of encroaching Malaysian waters.

The amendments have proposed for a six-fold increase in fines against the captains of foreign encroaching vessels from RM1 million to RM6 million while proposing to fine local vessels up to RM4 million.

As for crew of foreign vessels, the penalty proposed is RM600,000 from the current RM100,000. – July 3, 2019.